


Hot Pink Sticky Note

by Enikawa_Moriko



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Library, Attempt at Humor, Getting Together, M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Kerberos Mission, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 04:39:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14927297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enikawa_Moriko/pseuds/Enikawa_Moriko
Summary: Matt had no idea when did this entire thing actually started. He supposed it was back when Shiro first came here looking for some reading and chill and left with that old paperback which state strongly reminded Matt of lettuce - definitely more a lettuce than an actual book. When he’d returned it, he included a small, bright yellow sticky note hidden in between the pages. Matt noticed and decided to remove it, figuring out Shiro probably used it as a bookmark and forgot he’d left it in there.To his surprise, the note was clearly planted there intentionally, and what’s more, addressed to him.Matt finds himself a boyfriend, gets scared to death and starts to hate his own handwritting, not necessary in that order. And it's all Shiro's fault.





	Hot Pink Sticky Note

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ColdToTheBone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColdToTheBone/gifts).



> Honestly, at this point I'm just surprised the computer isn't exploding on me. *knockes on wood*  
> I was determined to finish this before sleeping - and I _did_ \- but the the freaking _Archive was down_. So yeah, here we go.  
>  I hope you like this, Lyt! I'm really sorry for the delay <3
> 
> This is my first time writing these two and honestly, first published English fanfic almost _ever_. So yeah, sorry if there are any mistakes or typos! Please, if you catch any, point them out so I can fix them!  
>  I would also like to thank my buddy [Nigg](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Nigg) for beta-ing the first part of the story - tenses will be the death of me.  
> Any remaining mistakes are purely my own!
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** Voltron: Legendary Defender and it's world isn't mine, nor are it's characters. I'm just borrowing them for a bit and putting them back, safe and sound.

If you’d asked his little sister about him, she would definitely call him a disasterd gay. Matt resented that - first of all, he was _pan,_ thank you very much. He had enough love for everybody, no need to limit himself to a single gender like that. Second of all, he wasn’t even _that_ much of a disaster, really! He could deal with his life and his problems just as well, as any other suffering teenager in the world did. (Whit unhealthy amounts of caffeine and unexpected mental breakdowns at 3 AM, _so what_ ) _._

And feelings? He didn’t have _time_ for something like _feelings._ Not in the middle of the unmerciful meat grinder that was the Arizona Galaxy Garrison’s educational system. When he wasn’t cramming for some kind of exam or sitting half-dead in a lecture, he had shifts in the school’s library.

It wasn’t a bad thing. Actually, it was a great way to get some studying in that _wasn’t_ happening in the middle of the night, during one of his caffeine-induced 3 AM frenzies (it was next to impossible to study throughout the afternoons, as the barracks were noisier than your average heavy metal concert).

So yeah, the library was his oasis of tranquillity in the busy, loud world of the Garrison faculty. He supposed having a dad in there had its silver linings - in today’s digital age, everyone used their devices to look up the information, so the library laid half-forgotten, tucked away in a far corner of the east wing. He wouldn’t have known about them even looking for a librarian in the first place, if his dad hadn’t let him know.

******

He was putting some books in the Robotics section back to their places, thinking away about today’s classes, unaware of his surrounding when he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

He _screeched._

Turning around, he felt his elbow connect with something, hard. He yelped in pain, clutching it with his other hand, not realizing he was still holding the books in his arms.

_Thud-thud-d-thud-d._

Well, not anymore.

The books fell to the ground in an avalanche of paper; pages rustling, spines wailing. _Fuck_.

Some of those were _brand new!_ How on Earth did this person think this was a somehow acceptable course of action? _Look at his poor babies!_ He needed to assess the damage immediately after he yelled at this uncivilized, ignorant wobbly chair leg - don’t _laugh_ at him, those were the _worst_ \- and lectured them about the proper bookcare.

“Ouch, that really hurt. Man, your elbows are _pointy._ ”

Matt’s head snapped to the side and he came up short, realizing just who was standing in front of him.

The mysterious intruder, the absolute fucking walnut that almost scared him to death…

Was Takashi Shirogane, Garrison’s rising star.

 _What is_ he _doing here?_ Matt wondered. Shirogane was a legend, the Garrison’s Golden Boy. natural pilot, star student, nice and friendly to students and teachers alike - a rarity in as highly competitive environment as was the Garrison Academy. He was usually followed around by the faithful hordes of his various fans - or even entire fanclubs - but it looked like he was alone now. Matt’s inhuman screech apparently freaked him out, at least judging by the horrified expression he wore.

He was also clutching his ribs with one hand.

Matt realized he should probably apologize - his elbows sure were pointy. He’d heard so many times in the past and he had used it to his advantage more than once. But also, this _definitely_ wasn’t his fault. His heart was still beating fast, adrenaline pumping through his veins, chest heaving as if he’d just finished a marathon. So instead, he leveled Shirogane with a pointed look and asked, voice full of justified indignation:

“In what universe is touching someone who is unaware of your presence a _good fucking idea?_ ”

Shirogane raised his hands defensively, but at least he had enough self-consciousness to look apologetic.

He turned his gaze downwards to the books, still lying in a heap by Matt’s feet. Without a word, he squatted down and picked up one of them, dusting it off before checking if any of the pages weren’t wrinkled or torn in any way.

Matt threw another indignant look at the top of his head - covered in clean-cut, silky looking black hair with a few slightly longer bangs up the front. What was that even about? Matt’s hair might resemble a bird’s nest approximately ninety two point half percent of time, but at least it was a _symmetrical_ bird’s nest, without any randomly longer bangs sprouting out of his _forehead._

But in fact it didn’t look nearly as bad as it should. The short hair gave him an official, serious, military vibe, but the honestly _dorky_ strands in the front added a more human, approachable look to it, softened it up.

Matt wondered if it even adhered to the protocol. He guessed it must have - Shirogane was the Garrison’s golden boy, there was no way he would have his hair like that, if it was against the rules in any way. Dress code regulations weren’t terribly strict for the science department Matt was part of, but he had an impression that the pilot program wasn’t nearly as chill. Maybe he…

Maybe he should stop getting distracted by Shirogane’s hair, because said Shirogane was currently watching him quizzically, eyebrows raised, book in hand.

His eyes were a rich, chestnut color, almond-shaped and twinkling with… mirth? They were… they were beautiful.

Okay, maybe Matt was a bit of a disaster gay.

But only a tiny bit.

He crouched next to him, picking up the _Introduction to Modern-day Spacecraft Engineering_ and straightening the crumpled pages to the best of his abilities, avoiding Shirogane’s gaze at all cost.

The awkward silence drawn out.

Matt supposed he should say something. But what? _Sorry I’ve yelled at you, you’ve only scared me to death._

_I apologize for my pointy elbows, but it serves you right. By the way, you have really pretty eyes._

Okay, maybe not that.

So he just stayed silent, eyes trained on the heavy tome on hardships of spacecraft design that fell just short of his toes. Picking it up, he made sure every corner was intact - the bottom right one on the back was a bit chafed so he silently apologized to it, before dusting it off and standing up to put it back into the shelf where it belonged.

Then a question dawned on him:

“What did you even need?” he asked, hoping it was _damn_ important for it took at least ten years out of his lifespan.

 

“Oh,” Shirogane looked up, scooping the leftover books into his arms and getting up, too. “It wasn’t anything important,” he made a pause, gaze shifting to the side, trailing across the shelves surrounding them.

Matt raised an eyebrow in disbelief, a look that he’d mastered perfectly thanks to his sister’s helpful input. “Yeah, sure. It was so unimportant you had to give a poor librarian a near death experience because of it.” A smallest hint of bitterness might’ve slipped into his tone, but could you blame him? “Honestly, even now I’m still scared to death.”

“Nice to meet you, scared to death. You can call me Shiro.”

A beat passed.

Matt gaped at him.

_Was that a fucking dad joke?_

He shot Shirogane… well, apparently now _Shiro,_ a disbelieving, unimpressed look. Shiro avoided his gaze again, instead focusing back on the shelves with rapt interest, as if studying a fascinating nebulae he’d never seen before instead of a ratty old thing held together mostly with a few rusty screws and a hecking lot of willpower.

Matt waited patiently for him to break the silence - it was his turn now, there was no way Matt was going to cave in first. Two can play this game, dammit!

“I was wondering, if you have any… fiction there? Like, something to destress?” came a quiet voice after a while.

Matt had to bite his tongue as not to blurt out a very inappropriate double entendre.

_So are we just ignoring the whole dad joke thing? Okay, get it together, Matt!_

Matt stroked his chin in thought - Garrison’s library was mostly meant for educational purposes, there weren’t many opportunities to just chill throughout the semester anyway.

“I’m sure I can find something,” he said absentmindedly, index finger tapping against his chin while he mapped out the library’s collection in his head. “Lemme just take a look…”

He started walking towards the remote corner of the library. Tucked behind some tips for keeping up your physical condition, there used to be a shelf dedicated solely to fiction…

Glancing back to make sure Shiro was following behind, he found his way through the labyrinth of bookcases, successfully winding through the chaotic mass of nonfiction.

The shelf was in a sorry state, even worse off than he’d remembered it - only a few scattered dog-eared paperbacks, lying there half-forgotten.

He scanned them quickly - some classics, he spotted Shakespeare’s _Hamlet_ in there - but otherwise nothing much. Well, that was truly depressing.

He was about to apologize to Shiro when he heard a soft sound.

“Is that _Ender’s Game_ I see?”

Matt turned around and saw him picking up a battered bundle of page in a blue and white cover. And…

That’s probably how it all had started.

******

Matt took the book, gaze trained on the counter, even though his eyes were safely hidden behind the wall of his bangs. He could not, however, hide the smile; the one that spread on his cheeks the moment he spotted a flash of pink among the book’s pages, yellowed by time. He scanned the book’s barcode and put it aside - _so he can put it safely back where it belonged,_ mind you. Definitely not to read what the hot pink sticky note said. Okay? Glad that much was clear.

“Is that everything, sir, or would you like to borrow another?” he asked, keeping his voice as disinterested as possible.

“Oh, what would you recommend, my good sir?” Shiro answered in kind, playing along.

Matt had no idea when did this entire thing actually started. He supposed it was back when Shiro first came here looking for some _reading and chill_ and left with that old paperback which state strongly reminded Matt of lettuce - definitely more a lettuce than an actual _book_. When he’d returned it, he included a small, bright yellow sticky note hidden in between the pages. Matt noticed and decided to remove it, figuring out Shiro probably used it as a bookmark and forgot he’d left it in there.

To his surprise, the note was clearly planted there intentionally, and what’s more, addressed to him. The short message in blue ink and loopy writing read:

_dear scared to death, i forgot to ask, what should i call you? - shiro_

Matt felt his ears burn for some inexplicable reason, but if you’d asked him about it, he would deny everything. You didn’t see anything. You have no proof.

That time, Shiro just left the book there without any words, but he apparently came back later after Matt’s shift ended, leaving a request for a book that was due to be returned tomorrow. Matt used the opportunity to slip in his answer:

_preferred titles include your highness and the greatest one - The Supreme Lord of the Library_

He slipped the note in just as it’s addressee walked into the room. Matt almost let go of the book in the hurry to put it aside as inconspicuously as possible, but he managed to keep his hold on it, letting go of it with his best impression of nonchalance. (At least he hoped so).

Shiro had raised a truly articulate eyebrow when he’d seen him and then flashed him a blinding grin.

Matt felt the heat climb up his cheeks and he had no idea why. He hid his hands behind his back like a child trying to cover up something they’d done - which was ridiculous. Why did he felt like he was caught doing something he shouldn’t? He didn’t do _anything!_

“Hello,” Shiro greeted, stopping at the counter. “I should have a book in there?”

Matt didn’t manage more than a nod. He quickly turned to grab the book again and shoved it onto Shiro. “Here you go,” he mumbled, still fighting the embarrassment.

“Thank you,” Shiro smiled, softer this time, and took the book.

******

From then on, they swapped notes on a weekly basis - sometimes even daily. Shiro started coming by so often Matt suspected he didn’t even read half the books he was borrowing (mostly outdated flying manuals nowadays so it would be no wonder). But then, why even come?

The idea of Shiro coming by just to see him was completely ridiculous, but still left a warm, bubbly feeling in its wake. It didn’t seem possible, but what other explanation was there? The notes also didn’t help his case - they went on and on, sometimes inquiring, sometimes teasing, sometimes encouraging, sometimes joking. Shiro might've been the Garrison’s Wonder Child but the reality was, he was a huge dork. Today, his note read:

_where does the king hide his armies?_

Matt grinned. Honestly, such a nerd. He took a blue gel pen and scribbled down his answer:

_in his sleevies ;)_

He folded the note, hiding it in today’s book. For once it wasn’t a flying manual, outdated or otherwise. Instead, it was an ancient copy of _Red Rising_ \- it wasn’t one of the library’s books, it was Matt’s own. Shiro had been looking for ‘something to destress’ again, but since the library’s collection didn’t improve over the time even in the slightest, Matt included a ‘leave it to me’ in Shiro’s last book - _The A and Z of Spacecraft Development Throughout the Years._

“Hi, Malcolm,” came a greeting from behind his back. Matt would like to state for the record that he _almost_ didn’t jump. Shiro’s cat-footedness was going to be the death of him one day - but he was getting better and the not freaking out part.

“I think you damn well know that isn’t my name,” he grumbled instead.

“I think you damn well know that it’s your fault for that cacography of yours.”

“Maybe you’re just blind,” Matt retorted.

“Whatever you say, Malcolm.”

Matt graced him with his Patented Death Stare - which wasn’t all that threatening if he was being honest, but maybe he was just desensitized. After all, his frame of reference included the Pidge Expression of Doom. It was hard to measure up after being on the receiving end of it so many times.

He hoped he’d learnt something from her - but Shiro seemed unimpressed by his skills. What more - he honest to god _laughed_ , a ringing sound full of merriment.

It was a very nice sound.

Shiro's laughter had a nice sound. Okay, Matt could admit to that.

But he could _feel_ his gaze softening as he noticed the crinkles in the corners of Shiro’s eyes, as he took in the way his nose scrunched up. Ugh, so annoying.

_So cute._

Matt could feel his ears burn, so he just shoved the book into Shiro’s chest over the counter, yelping indignantly: “Stop _laughing_ at me, you jerk! And off you go, I have a work to do!”

******

“Hello, Watt Bold.”

_“Excuse me, please. What did you just called me?”_

Shiro just shrugged, the embodiment of inculpability. But Matt knew better, he wouldn’t let himself be shaken by some faux-innocence.

 

“So we meet again Larod dear.”

“You literally come here at least twice a week.”

“Your point?”

_“My point is. That my name. Is. Not. Fucking. Larod.”_

 

“Tell me, Mathematics, is there-”

“There isn’t.”

“You didn’t even let me finish-”

“The mathematics section is the third aisle from right, enjoy.”

 

“Hey, Rat-”

_“I’m so taking offence to that.”_

 

“So, how are you today?”

Matt raised an eyebrow, mimicking the expression Shiro dished out every time Matt attempted to pretend annoyance at his antics. “No horrible abomination left to call me?”

“I have no idea what are you talking about, Berthold.”

_“That’s it, no more books for you!”_

(Shiro still left three hours later with Matt’s own beloved copy of _Lord of the Rings._ Matt couldn’t believe he’d apparently turned into such a softie).

******

Although the notes still were their main mean of communication, their talks evolved slowly over the time - Shiro started to spend more time at the library, often stopping by just to chat, not even using the manuals as an excuse anymore (and yes, excuse it was, Matt was positive now). He would show up almost every shift Matt was on - he wondered if Shiro actually knew his schedule by heart. How would he do that though? He never asked Matt about it, that much was for sure. Did he actually went ahead and asked Matt’s coworker? Matt almost caved in and asked her himself, but however nice Berta was, she was also the biggest gossiper out of the entire staff of the Garrison, so in the end he decided against it. (After all, he didn’t want his dad to start asking weird questions… not that there was anything weird to ask about! Definitely not, dammit!)

Or did Shiro actually just come by all the time, just to check if Matt was there? That would be kind of crazy, but… both ideas filled Matt’s chest with warmth, almost akin to fondness. Ridiculous. Also it made him - _him_ who was _notorious_ for his lack of shame - flush like a twelve-year-old with a first crush. Honestly, so annoying.

Matt was working through a pile of books that needed to be put back into their proper places (Really, where did so many books even came from? Apart from Shiro, nobody came here), when Shiro spoke up, out of nowhere:

“So what are you doing this Saturday?”

He was sitting on the counter (Honestly, rude. That much for being the flawless ‘Golden Boy’), fingers running over the spine of Matt’s copy of the Philosopher’s Stone. Shiro had recently admitted to only ever watching the movies and not reading the books and Matt couldn’t let such a disgrace stand any longer, showing his own copy at Shiro at the first given opportunity.

“Hm?” Matt hummed absentmindedly, absorbed in his work.

“Are you free this Saturday?” Shiro repeated his question. “In the evening.”

“Yeah,” Matt replied without thinking. “Wait. Why?”

“I wanted to go watch the meteor shower…” Shiro trailed off.

“And?” Matt asked, then stopped abruptly, turning towards Shiro. “Wait. Are you… doing what I think you’re doing?”

“Asking you to join me?”

Matt nodded.

“Depends, do you want me to?”

Matt nodded again, hesitant.

“Great, it’s a date.”

Matt gaped, cheeks burning: “It’s a _what?!_ ”

“Date. Y’know, two people--”

_“A freaking meteor shower?”_

Shiro raised a single articulate eyebrow.

“Oh my god, that’s so cliché.” Matt was feeling a little lightheaded, cheeks still burning, probably brighter than ever before.

“You’re a cliché, Mothhold.”

_“You’re still onto this?!”_

Another eyebrow raise, though Matt was sure he saw a twitch of amusement in the corners of Shiro’s mouth.

“Blocked, unfriended, reported. You are officially cancelled.”

The jerk just laughed at him.

******

“Hey, tell me, why didn’t we exchange contacts yet?” Matt asked, realizing so just now, lying down in the still warm sand of the Arizona desert.

“Notes are way more romantic, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, but still, gimme your communicator.” Matt made a grabby hands motion.

“The date didn’t even start yet,” Shiro’s Eyebrow Raise was back, but he passed his device to Matt obediently.

Matt leveled him with an unimpressed stare. He quickly transmitted the identification number to his own and then repeated the action, transmitting his own data into Shiro’s device. “This way, if the date goes wrong, I can always hack you,” he said, smirking before passing the communicator back.

“Ouch.”

“You deserve it anyways, for all those weird nicknames.”

Shiro grinned teasingly: “You mean like-”

“Don’t you _dare_ -”

Shiro just smiled, eyes soft: “I was going to say ‘baby.’”

Matt’s face burst in flames. This should be illegal! How dared he, making him feel all mushy and warm and-

Shiro’s face grown worried: “Am I going to fast? I’m sorry, I’ll back off immediately if you’re uncomfortable at any given time! I didn’t want to make you-”

Matt hushed him, index finger coming up to his lips. “No, it’s okay.”

The worry in Shiro’s face all but dissipated, but his nose still stayed scrunched up. Matt didn’t like it. Or maybe he did.

In a spurt of a moment he leaned in, kissing the wrinkled skin there briefly.

It was Shiro’s turn to blush like a tomato. And honestly? It was a great look on him. Matt decided he needed to see it way more often.

 

Later on, as the sand around them slowly went colder and the stars shined brighter, Shiro turned on his side, facing Matt.

“I think I finally have an answer to your question,” he murmured, seemingly still lost in thought.

“Huh?”

“In this one.”

Matt blinked at him, confuzzled. “What does that mean? What question? You have to be a little more specific than that.”

“When we’d first met, you asked me ‘in what universe is touching someone unaware of your presence a good idea.’ And I finally figured it out - in this one, it must have been.”

Matt blinked again, and then once more, none wiser than before.  “And how on Earth did you come to this stunning conclusion?” he asked, still mourning internally for the terrible loss he suffered, for the years that disappeared from his lifespan on that very day.

Shiro reached for his hand, squeezing it in his, warm and strong and surprisingly gentle, before intertwining their fingers properly. “It led me to you. Let us to _this._ ”

“Oh my god, you’re such a sap.” Matt still laughed even as he felt the warm mix of happiness and embarrassment color his cheeks. Leaning over to peck Shiro on the cheek again, he thought that he might be a disaster gay after all, but laying there, underneath the stars with Shiro, he had a feeling it might not be a bad thing after all.

******

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, that's it! I hope I didn't give y'all too many cavities.
> 
> If you enjoyed this, I would love to see your comment below. I still have a lot to improve, so I would be grateful for any feedback at all! And if you don't, I'm still glad you got through this with some teeth left :-)
> 
> You can find me [here on tumblr!](http://dyinginjapanese.tumblr.com) I mostly do klance art these days, but there might be more of my writing in the future!


End file.
